


The Lovesick Misadventures of a Skittish Chat Noire

by ReaperOfAngels



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Genderswap, Identity Reveal, Mild panic, Reveal, date, genderbent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 15:38:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16663576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperOfAngels/pseuds/ReaperOfAngels
Summary: This is a genderbent AU where Chat Noire (Aurore Agreste) figures out who her friends are, and is nervous about if they confirm their identities.Also, there's a date for like half the story but who really cares?I do, but that's not the point.





	The Lovesick Misadventures of a Skittish Chat Noire

**Author's Note:**

> Adrien’s name is now Aurore and Marinette’s name is now Marin (do you know how long I spent trying to find a male name for Marinette and it turned out Marin was the only name that was both a real French name and suited them? I don’t think you do).

“Beetle.”

Whatever Chat had been expecting when her partner turned around, it wasn’t this. It wasn’t that lovesick smile and shining bluebell eyes filled to the brim with some inexplicably  _happy_  emotion. Whatever she had been expecting wasn’t that heart-stoppingly  _gorgeous_  and  _soft_  smile on his lips; wasn’t that warm expression he was giving her like she was the reason for that criminally sweet look in his eyes, cause she knew she wasn’t. No, she was expecting him to be crying, because he had just been staring at the Eiffel Tower for the last 10 minutes. He hadn’t even noticed she had gotten here or returned her greeting, he had been so lost in thought. 

She felt her heart seize up in her chest; whoever who had made him look like  _that_ needed to be given a reward, a happy scream, a kiss, hell,  _something_ , anything to make them keep him making that look for the rest of eternity. Especially if it would make him look at her like that.

She had been trying so hard to make him look at her like that for, what, 4 years now? She was almost jealous of whoever carved that expression onto his face, jealous of whoever gave him the life in his eyes, but with Beetle looking at her with those eyes her brain was short-circuiting and couldn’t process any negative emotions that her half-thoughts gave her.

“ _Chaton_.” He whispered almost breathlessly. “Oh,  _chaton_ , you would not believe the day I just had.” He breathed before simply letting himself fall onto the shingles of the roof as if it were perfectly soft bedding. His short, dark hair poofed out a little as he plopped down, spreading around him in the soft locks. His suit was mostly black - only the seems had a red and black-polka-dotted pattern and those ran over his collarbone, on the seams of his shoulders (both over the chest and around the bicep), and down his thighs with another strip that outlined his hips in a very distracting manner. He had black gloves and boots, too, but what he really needed was some thicker shorts or a shirt to save Chat’s already poorly functioning brain. 

Chat sat down, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair, but stopping herself when she remembered her hair was longer in this form, unlike her normal pixie cut. She put her hand back down and smiled at her companion, clearing her throat a little and preparing herself before she spoke out loud. “Do tell, bugaboo.”

Beetle only snorted and sighed. “It’s funny how I hate that nickname but even that can’t ruin my mood.” He whispered wistfully and Chat’s heart melted a little more. 

His arms had stretched out and his hands were lying open, one towards her. Beetle looked over, looking at his hand before smiling that lovesick grin and looking up at Chat again and Chat swore to herself that the butterflies in her stomach were just hairballs trying to come up (even though this form had never made her produce hairballs, but no one needed to know that).

“My… oh my god.” Beetle chuckled and put his face in his hands, tilting his head back as his whole face turned a lovely shade of crimson that matched the seams of his suit. He then let his arms flop back down and, quite breathlessly again, spoke; “My crush finally asked me out on a date. I mean, sh-she’s asked me out before, but on friendly hangout sorts of things, but this time she explicitly asked me out on a date and god,  _chaton_ , I just don’t know what to  _do_  with myself. She’s so fucking perfect and sweet Maria she’s beautiful. I feel like I’m being such a dork about this but I just can’t help myself.”

Oh.

He was… happy about a girl. That had asked him out. 

Yes, she had processed that; and felt like she had just been punched in the gut and the fist had left a dark pit of despair, but she was so caught up with how he was saying her name that she, too, didn’t know what to do with herself.

Should she be sad? Disappointed that he likes someone else, and they had asked him out? Or should she simply be happy that he’s happy, ignore her jealousy and instead be happy that he was cooing her name like a mantra that was going to keep his giddiness in check?

“Oh. That.. girl that you like. Yeah, I remember you… vaguely mentioning her.” Chat glanced away, deciding to battle out these emotions another time and instead pretend to be neutral on the matter. 

That’s when Beetle looked up at her with that typical Beetle-like look of concern and sat up. “Oh, chaton… I’m so sorry. I was so caught up in myself that… that I forgot I probably shouldn’t talk about this sort of stuff with you.” He murmured with a frown on his face. No, this was wrong. She wanted that lovesick look back on his face.  _Fix it_ , her mind screamed, _make him look at me like that again, please, just make him look at me like he loves me._

Chat bit her lip before just smiling. “No! No, don’t worry about me. It’s okay. I’m really glad this girl makes you so happy. Would you tell me about her?”

Instantly, Beetle’s eyes lit up again with that fire, that love and compassion and just utter  _joy_  and Chat’s heart could be fit to burst. “Oh,  _chaton_ , you would love her. She’s kind, and sweet, and doesn’t take other people’s kindness for granted. She makes awful jokes and laughs at them herself and loves physics and science, just like you do. She likes the same music as I do and just  _adores_  children and cats. She likes to play video games and helps me study. She’s got the most beautiful green eyes and most adorable grin with her one dimple on her left cheek, and-” Beetle let out a giggle, a  _giggle_ , “her blonde hair has awarded her with the nickname Sunshine at school because of how much she smiles, and while she doesn’t like her absentee mother who makes her work too much sometimes, she always tries to go out with me and my friends and she’s always really sad when she can’t go out with us. I just want to give her the world, you just… have no idea.” Beetle breathed, his eyes showing her a million colors under the beautiful lights of Paris.

But, that wasn’t why Chat’s mind hadn’t gone blank.

Because… that description… sounded an awful lot like  _her._

Not Chat, no, Chat Noire wasn’t the person Beetle was talking about.

No, that description sounded an awful lot like her civilian self, Aurore Agreste.

Super green eyes that everyone swooned over, that one dimple she had that she got from her father that her mother hates. Awful jokes, loves science, adores children and cats. The overload of work she gets from her mother, always trying to go out with friends and being heavily disappointed when she can’t. In fact, that sounded… too much like her. Who had she asked out today on a date? Fuck. She needed her brain to function, for just a moment. If only she hadn’t gotten so caught up in how happy Beetle was…

Oh.

That’s right.

How could she forget?

The answer is; she couldn’t. Because the person she had asked out was this particularly (distressingly) attractive friend she had.

“ _Of the sea_.”

For his eyes.

 _Marin_.

Her very first friend at school aside from Claude Bourgeois. Marin Dupain-Cheng.

Marin had always been someone she was very willing to date. He was nice to her, and, in fact, seemed to adore her as a friend, and after he got over his stutter problem he was a very enjoyable person to talk to, not to mention how encouraging he was to everyone in their class. But her crush on Beetle stopped her from dating him for a long time before she just… decided it was best to try and move on from that crush. 

But…

If… If he was talking about who she  _thought_  he was talking about, then…

He would  _have_  to be Marin. Because Marin was the only person she had asked out recently, which meant…

Oh no.

Oh _no._

She  _was_  the reason he looked like that.

 _He_  had a  _crush_  on  _her_.

And… he was her distressingly attractive classmate.

That she had asked out.

And had unknowingly flirted with for 4 years.

And played video games with

And studied with.

He was the friend that she sat in front of in class and passed notes to at the foot of his desk. He was the friend that wore soft denim jackets and black jeans and asymmetrical shirts. The friend that drew and created beautiful designs just for her. The friend that sometimes brought baked goods for the class, and if there was more than he bargained for from his parents, he would share  _specifically_  with her because he knew she didn’t get sweets that often. The friend that could teach history to a whole class but ask him anything about sports and he would simply draw a blank. The friend who most definitely was Jagged Stone’s favorite upcoming designer considering the pop idol had Marin design multiple things for her over the years, unashamedly, and even happily advertised Marin as the designer of her things, despite how much he blushed and stuttered and told her the publicity wasn’t necessary, even on TV. 

The friend who… noticed that she liked kids, and physics, and always laughed at her awful jokes even though he knew they were awful. The friend who knew how much of a workload she got from her mom and how much she hated it when she couldn’t go out with him and Alric and Noemi. The friend who was always there to listen to her grumble about her mom and her awful ‘cat’ while they chatted over cafe creme and Automne bleu and his mother’s famous chocolate-filled croissants. The friend who, somehow, knew just how to brighten her day - either with his dorky rambling about some fashion designer or by pulling him out of wherever she was and going for a walk around Paris while pointing out silly details that she had never bothered to notice before.

 _That_  friend.

Oh god.

Oh god, oh god, oh god oh god oh god.

No. 

She couldn’t  _handle_  him being that friend.

She saw him  _every day_.

He was already the  _distressingly attractive friend_.

Now he was the  _distressingly attractive friend that **likes**  you and just so happens to be  **Beetle**  of all people and just you asking him out makes him look like he’s on top of the goddamn  **world.**_

“Chat?” 

Chat shook herself out of her reverie and looked up at Beetle with a shaky grin. “Y-Yeah, Bugaboo?” She asked.

Beetle tilted his head and his eyes glanced at her left cheek, and Chat almost shot her hand up to cover it.  _No, please don’t find out at the same time as me, I haven’t even had time to fully process this yet! I need time!_  She thought, blushing as she stopped herself from covering her cheek, just staring up at him. When Beetle’s eyes met her eyes again, he simply smiled. “Chaton, thank you for listening to me ramble. I… I’m sorry I talked about her in front of you. I never meant to, ever since I found out that you like me more than… well, a friend, or a partner. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to listen to me when I get like this. I can’t talk like this with my friends.” It was then that Beetle started laughing softly to himself. “My best friend already thinks I’m a lovesick fool who can’t get my crap together, imagine if he heard me talking like that about her…” He sighed and let his head fall, his messy dark hair falling in front of his eyes. 

Chat didn’t know how much of this she could take.

She could only thank the heavens she had planned their date to take place on the weekend, and that it was Monday. She needed time to process all of this before she said anything. 

* * *

Which was… easier said than done, especially when she started noticing a lot of similarities between Reynard Rouge and Alric Cesaire. Had he really picked his best friend to fight alongside the two of them? She didn’t blame him, certainly. Alric was an excellent choice of person to pick for the Fox Miraculous and wasn’t telling anyone who he was, but… really? Really?

And then came Carapace. She was just so familiar after she started looking for those things - and then it hit her. Noemi.  _Her_  best friend.

And really, she should be flattered that Beetle thought Noemi would be a good pick for one of their partners, but knowing it was her friend made her want to take more hits for her, protect her even though Noemi was supposed to be the shield.

That was the problem with knowing people’s identities.

It made her want to protect them. To the point of near suicide. Because she didn’t know if she could handle it if she happened to fuck up and then know why they just  _happened_  to be sick the next few days at school.

And one day, they had the whole crew with them. King Bee (after finding out it was their classmates, Claude was easy to figure out, and it wasn’t really a surprise), Reynard, and Carapace. And Chat was fit to burst and scream and  _ugh_.

It wasn’t long into their monthly hangout session (Friday this time, and the day before her and Marin’s date) before they all noticed she was fidgety and quiet. Beetle frowned and tilted his head at her. “Chat?” He finally said, sounding concerned in a way that Chat thought was way too Marin to be good for her health.

When Chat looked up, Beetle smiled softly, kindly, and asked, “what’s wrong?”

Chat Noire was quiet for a long time before sighing. “… I think I know who you all are.” She immediately felt the air around her become tense and she didn’t have to look up to know they had all tensed up and their eyes were wide. “But I don’t want to accuse you of anything, and then have you confirm it, because then I would have to live with seeing you every day and the guilt if I happen to screw up someday.” She mumbled as she fiddled with the edge of her glove. Her suit an almost completely black suit for the exception of a golden bell and a few buckles that were over her boots, simple and not too flashy. “The biggest problem is while I think I know who you all are, none of you have any clue as to who I am, so I feel guilty about having assumptions.” She looked up at them. They had relaxed and now just looked more concerned. Of course, Beetle knew who each of them was, and had left Chat in the dark. Beetle chewed on his lip slowly before sighing. “Well, um… how about this? How about you tell us who you think we all are, and we won’t confirm or deny, and we’ll tell you who we think you are?” Beetle smiled shakily.

Chat tilted her head before sighing. “Okay.” She rubbed the back of her neck out of habit before looking back up at her friends. At first, she had had two friend groups. Now she had only one.

“Bee.” She murmured and the hero in question jumped a little. Chat bit back a snicker. “I… think… that you’re Claude Bourgeois, the Mayor’s son.” She whispered. No reaction. Then again, she didn’t expect one from Claude. Maybe be a little angry at the accusation, but little more than that.

Chat moved her eyes to Carapace. “You’re… at least, I think you are… Noemi Lahiffe. My…” Chat cleared her throat and shook her head. “Never mind. Reynard.” She set her eyes on the fox who straightened up, wide-eyed. Chat let out a giggle. “I think you’re Alric Cesaire. The runner of the BlogBeetle. I imagine you were very excited when Beetle asked you to help.” She giggled when Alric’s tan skin turned a light pinkish color.

Chat let out a deep breath and looked at Beetle, who was looking very expectant. “Beetle, y-you’re…” Chat’s face went bright red and she tilted her head back, putting her hands over her face. “God, you’re the only one I really can’t handle if you are who I think you are.” Chat whined before sitting back up properly. She knew she was probably a very bright red from the way Beetle was looking at her with that bemused amusement in his eyes. Chat Noire whined at him but Beetle only laughed a little. “Come on, just tell me.” He cooed. Chat sighed. “Fine. I think you’re Marin Dupain-Cheng.” She said quickly and a bit stubbornly, crossing her arms and pouting like a little kid.

“… O-Oh. Well then. I… okay.” Beetle smiled weakly and sat back up straight before smiling weakly at their companions. “Well. It’s our turn now to say who we think you are, I guess.”

But none of them said anything, just looked at each other.

“I mean, it would have to be someone who goes to the same school those names came from, right? No one else would know _all_ of those names except for someone who went to school with people named them. I mean, everyone knows who Claude is and people who like Jagged Stone know the name Marin, but not everyone. And most people wouldn’t know the names Cesaire and Lahiffe.” Reynard said softly and put a hand to his chin, thinking.

Beetle nodded. “Yeah, he has a point. So someone that knows those names personally. Possibly in the same class.” He sighed and leaned back.

King furrowed his brow then just sighed. “Well, I don’t know anyone who acts like Chat. In or out of school. I actually don’t  know anyone who even  _looks_  like her.” He huffed, crossing his arms as well.

Beetle shook his head. “Your kwami will change your appearance or how you present yourself slightly to help protect your identity as a hero. Like with Reynard, Trixx changed his hair a little. With Carapace, Wayzz covered most of her face and helped clear her voice a little. With King… I’m not sure what they changed on you but whatever. With me, Tikki changes my attitude and my accent just a little. What about you, Chat?” Beetle smiled and tilted his head.

Chat bit her lip. “My hair is a lot longer as Chat than as a civilian. I have a pixie cut. And my mask changes the color of my eyes a little. They’re still green, just not lime-like like they are now.” She murmured, hugging her knees.

They all stared at her. Reynard was the first to speak. “Pixie cut blonde hair…”

“With green eyes…” Came Noemi’s voice, staring at her skeptically.

They were all silent for a time before Beetle chuckled. “Yeah. I know someone who fits that description, but you don’t act anything like them, so I have a hard time believing that’s you. But, I’ll watch them for a while to see, okay?” He said with a wink that made Chat’s heart leap and her face flush. Yeah, she wasn’t going to make it tomorrow. 

* * *

This was it. Her date with Marin. And if you asked Aurore if she was ready, her answer would most certainly be “no,” but she didn’t have time to be nervous. Because she was going on a date with who she assumed was Beetle.

Marin was exactly where he said he would be, under the Arc de Triomphe. He was standing with a bag on his shoulders and a cup of coffee in one hand and a cup of her favorite tea in the other. And she couldn’t have felt lighter than she did at the moment. She walked up behind him and lightly rested her hand on his shoulder. When he turned, he stared at her confused for a moment before grinning widely. “Aurore! You made it!” He cheered and handed her the tea.

She smiled at the blue tint of the liquid before taking a sip, humming happily. “Thank you. You didn’t have to bring it.” Aurore murmured, and Marin only responded with a shrug.

“I had to make coffee anyway. Besides, no one drinks that but you. We bought it specifically for you.” He chuckled. That made Aurore blush but all she could do was smile up at him.

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” She said, not sounding the least bit surprised but figured she should say it.

They started their date with a crepe stand. Marin had told her beforehand that he didn’t want to try and get into a restaurant, so crepes were the next best things. Marin had a crepe filled to the brim with peaches and blueberries and what the owner of the stand called “vanilla syrup.” Marin said he would try it. Aurore had chocolate and bananas in her own, with whipped cream and… were those sprinkles?

After leaving the stand, they began to just… walk around Paris, munching happily at their crepes and throwing them away when they were done. Marin’s presence was… extremely calming, to say the least. It let her mind stop spiraling out of control when it came to her identity crises of her friends and actually think, and Marin seemed content in silence… so her thoughts just surrounded her.

Until she heard Marin’s laughing. Aurore looked over and tilted her head curiously, to which Marin responded: “Huh? Oh, sorry, sorry! I was just thinking about something funny a friend said yesterday.” He smiled. 

Aurore smiled back, quietly stilling her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. “Oh? Can I find out what this oh so amusing joke was?” She asked with a little purr and a grin that she knew was too Chat and not Aurore. It was a certain smile she had practiced really hard on, ones that didn’t show off her dimple too much, and now they just sometimes came to her. Unfortunately, those smiles made her look mischievous and not one bit innocent.

Marin looked out in front of them as they walked on the narrow alleyway, smiling at the cobblestone. “I was with a group of friends yesterday for this sort of hangout thing we do… and, ha, one of my friends sort of… like, nervously asked me if I was Beetle. It’s silly, right?” He chuckled out.

Aurore furrowed her brow. “Yeah, silly… who was this?” She asked slowly. 

That’s when Marin’s smile faded a little. “Um. Just a friend… that I have. Y-You, uh, don’t know her.” He stuttered shakily but smiled at her nonetheless.

That’s when Aurore’s smile got wide. “Don’t I? That’s unfortunate. Will I get to meet her one day?” She asked as innocently as she could. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe she could have fun with her bugaboo before she did anything outlandish.

Marin looked at her warily before glancing away. “No, I…” He paused, chewing on his lip slowly, his blue eyes going a strange kind of dark. “… for some reason, I don’t think you’ll ever get to meet her.” He mumbled softly.

Aurore pouted. “Oh. Well. Hm…” She thought for a moment before smiling. “How about you just… tell me about her then? You can be vague if you want. I’m used to only getting vague descriptions.” 

Marin looked at her funny again before turning his head away, looking out in front of them, and seemed to think. “Actually… she reminds me a lot of you.” He whispered after a minute and Aurore felt her breath get caught. “She’s… a really good person to have around when she isn’t distracted, which, that’s rare, but I know I can count on her when I need her to be serious. She’s… very kind, very patient, has always been… she’s… surprisingly good with kids. You wouldn’t think she would be with her over flamboyant personality but she’s able to tone it down just enough so she doesn’t scare kids but gets them excited instead. I can’t tell you how many children I’ve seen her turn into a happy, rambunctious crowd from a sobbing mess. She’s really smart when she wants to be but I think she has to be smart too much in her daily life to care by the time we see each other. She’s… blonde, like you, but her hair’s longer and it’s more of a strawberry or dirty blonde than a real blonde. She’s got these big, curious green eyes that just seem to want to know everything, want to know how it works and how to work around it. She…” He paused, then a blush started coming up from his neck and rose into his cheeks. He put his hand over his mouth. “God… fucking dammit…” He muttered, almost too quiet for her to hear.

Aurore began to giggle like a little school girl at the sight of his embarrassment, glad that the street they were on was more of a back alley with shops than an actual street. Barely anyone came down this way unless they were looking for something specific. Marin looked at her and huffed, crossing his arms. “It’s not funny!” He pouted. “I… didn’t even realize I had that much detail attached her face, okay? I don’t even know her name…” He frowned and looked away.

Aurore blinked and looked up at him. “You… You don’t?” She asked, probably sounding about as perplexed as she felt.

Marin’s face turned another lovely shade of red that was deeper than before. “Uh. We… initially had this agreement that when we met, we wouldn’t tell each other our names. It’s a way to keep us safe… f-from having expectations of one another. Instead, we called each other by other names. Ones that didn’t have any expectations attached to them yet, ones that could be thrown away. It’s the only name I have for her, but it… sort of… suits her, I guess. I mean, she was the one who picked it so of course, it suits her, I just…” He looked at Aurore and at her expectant look and pouted again. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

Aurore only giggled. “Yes, you are. But don’t let that stop you.” She grinned. “I love it when you ramble, and I’ll wait it out all day if it means I get to hear you talk.” 

And the award to darkest shade a live human has ever turned to goes to Marin Dupain-Cheng, whose face was so red that it made his dark hair look blue.

The rest of their date was spent mostly lurking around in the back streets of Paris, away from prying eyes and the media. It wasn’t gloomy or creepy though, a lot of the streets had adorable little shops and the stray cats came to greet them from their hiding spots and beg for food. Marin seemed to have come prepared for this, as upon opening his bag, Aurore spotted several thermoses that clearly weren’t for them, since they had bought the crepes earlier. When he pulled one out and opened it, it was filled to the brim with warm chicken, made that morning. He pulled one of the pieces out and Aurore watched as the stray gobbled it up happily. It only made Aurore more curious. 

“Do you… come across strays often?” She asked slowly, not meaning to pry. She could usually contain her curiosity as her civilian self. But not when it came to the mysterious Marin.

The boy in question only smiled. “Yeah. I know a lot of stray cats. I’ve contemplated taking one home once. But I already have a stray kitten that visits me. I don’t need a pet if I have her.” He hummed, looking up at her with shining blue eyes and a confidence that was too much Beetle for Aurore’s heart to handle it.

She knew who he was talking about, of course. There had been… several occasions where she visited her classmate in costume, to the point where it became almost subconscious to go to his house after a particularly nasty Akuma or a bad interaction with her mother. And Marin was always happy to baby her. But that knowledge wasn’t a good thing, at least not if she didn’t want to go into cardiac arrest.

“O-Oh.” She managed to stutter out, smiling shakily. “Your stray must be a very lovely cat to keep you from taking one of these lovelies home…” She looked away from him for her own sake, petting one of the cats under his chin and watching him purr and roll into her arm. 

“… She is.” Marin finally whispered, staring right at Aurore, feeling his eyes burn a hole into the side of her head. No, actually, it wasn’t like that. Having his gaze on her felt less like a burning sensation and more of a gentle caress, one that was nervous it was imposing but knowing it actually wasn’t.

It was a comfortable silence after that when Alric and Noemi had texted Marin that they had found Amour the Parisian ice cream maker by the Eiffel Tower and told them to meet them there. They took a few back ways that most people wouldn’t know about before ending up next to Printemps, and Aurore would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t notice how Marin was most definitely paying more attention to the display windows than her. But it only made her smile. Marin was a fashion designer after all, just like her mom. Beautiful clothes would make his head turn any time.

They got closer to the Eiffel Tower and they saw Amour, but before they went over, Marin suddenly pulled her off to the side to a flower shop. They went inside and the florist there greeted them happily. Marin looked around for a moment before looking at the florist. “Can I make a custom bouquet, please?” He asked with a smile that made the florist trip over herself a little. Hm. Aurore didn’t blame her. Marin had a smile that could make a whole crowd of girls fall like dominos. 

“Uh, s-sure! What do you want in the bouquet?”

Marin seemed to think about this. “Actually, two bouquets. In the first one,” Marin grinned as the woman seemed to steady herself and get ready, like someone ready to start a timed minigame. “Red and white carnations, and pink azaleas.”

The woman flinched for a whole second, looking at Marin, then at Aurore, before grabbing it and arranging it quietly and then wrapping it up. She looked back up at Marin, who smiled. “Don’t bother wrapping this one, I want them to make a crown. Irises and Daffodils.” The woman, again, looked surprised by this choice but didn’t argue. When she rang up the price, Marin paid eagerly before Aurore could even react as the woman had given her a card that had names of flowers and what she had  _thought_  was descriptions until she actually read it.

 _AZALEA - Take Care of Yourself for Me; Fragile Passion - 3,67/flower_  
CARNATION  White - Sweet and Lovely; Pure Love; Good Luck - 4,74/flower  
CARNATION  Red - My Heart Aches for You; Admiration - 4,89/flower

_DAFFODIL - Unrequited Love; You’re the Only One; The Sun is Always Shining When I’m with You - 3,12/flower  
IRIS - Your Friendship Means So Much to Me; Faith; Hope - 1,45/flower_

Written in very neat handwriting that was clearer than a crystal, Aurore was frozen there in the florist shop as she stared at the card. What…

“Thank you so much.” Marin chirped as he picked up the flowers. “Come on, Aurore, I’ve got a flower crown to make.” he grinned widely at the stunned girl, who sort of blindly followed him outside. 

* * *

Of course, the flowers were for her, because who else would they be for? But she hadn’t really believed it for some reason. She watched as Marin twisted flower stems around each other and used some floral wire to help manipulate them or hold them in place, and he eventually made a rather sturdy crown that was beautiful and she wouldn’t have to worry about damaging. He then went over and gently rested it on Aurore’s head, and while he put a couple bobby pins down to help it stay in her hair, she couldn’t help but blurt out what was on her mind.

“You… must have a great understanding of the language of flowers.” She said, fiddling with the edge of her skirt and chewing on her lip shyly.

Marin only snorted a little. “Yeah. I already knew what flowers I wanted, even before we went in there. Would it be dorky to tell you I had researched flowers just so I could buy some for you on this date?” He asked, and she could almost hear the grin on his face.

She snorted a little and sighed. “No, as long as me whining about this date with Noemi, worried I would screw up our friendship before she finally convinced me to just ask you isn’t dorky.” She murmured.

Marin laughed. “Funny. That’s what Alric did to me.” He said, finally satisfied with his work and coming around to sit with her on the bench again. 

Aurore looked at him, and while she had full intentions on just staring at him for a few minutes, Alric ruined that.

“Heeeeyyyy!!!”

Both of their heads turned to the sound of Alric’s voice. He was running to them, and he had  _several_  of their classmates with him, couples that were already established like Maurice and Irene and Alric had Noemi. And… was that Nathalie dragging Claude with her?

Alric ran up before backing away when he saw Aurore with a full crown of flowers on her head and Marin with a small bouquet of flowers in his lap, facing towards the blonde. “Oh. Oh. Sorry, are we interrupting something?” 

Marin laughed. “No, it’s nothing like that you sap. I just got done making a flower crown for her. We were about to go meet you guys at Amour’s stand.” He grinned broadly, shifting the bouquet in his lap to rest between them. Aurore blushed as she suddenly had the urge to grab his hand, but kept it to herself, trying hard not to fidget with her skirt like she always had the tendency to.

Alric grinned. “Well then, come on! Let’s go get ice cream, losers!” He yelled happily as he and Noemi raced back to Amour’s stand, and Marin let out a breathless chuckle. 

Aurore looked at him with a question on her lips, but Marin just shook his head. “He’s going to burn down the city with his personality one day, I just know it.” He chuckled and stood up. “Well, Rory? Ready?” He asked with a grin, holding his hand out to her.

Aurore bushed but took his hand, grabbing the bouquet next to her as she stood up, walking with him hand-in-hand. 

* * *

If anyone had told her a few weeks ago she would be nervously waiting for ice cream with whom she assumed was Beetle, as a civilian, she wouldn’t have believed them.

Yet here she was.

They got up and Amour was simply over the moon to see them. “Ah, dear sweet Marin, have you come back for another taste of Amour’s ice cream?”

Marin chuckled. “I am back, Mademoiselle. You’re sure you forgive me for the, uh, incident a while ago?” He asked with a smile, to which to ice cream maker just laughed.

“Why of course, my dear! After all, you did come back, even after that poor misunderstanding, didn’t you?”

Marin smiled fondly. “That I did, Amour.” He murmured softly.

Amour’s eyes then landed on Aurore and she gasped in delight. “Ah, you brought the one your heart aches for with you as well! How delightful, my Marin.” She turned while Aurore looked up at Marin with her brow raised playfully, and Marin just blushed. “Black cherry, and green tea, and a spot of ginger for two, oh how spicy but sweet I see your future!” She rhymed joyously, handing them a single cup of ice cream with small spoons for two, and Marin blushed as he took it, holding it between them, a soft smile on his lips.

But then Amour looked concerned, staring at the two of them. “Why, I know you, too, the young girl who knew to believe! Both of your hearts have changed just a tad, wouldn’t you agree?”

Marin and Aurore looked at each other, but then Aurore looked at him, and smiled. “I do, but I don’t think my individual order would have changed much, do you?” She grinned. Amour stared at her before chuckling. “No, certainly not! But instead of strawberries and chocolate, cinnamon knots!” She replied gleefully, and Aurore let out a giggle. She looked up at Marin. “What about you, Marin?”

Marin looked down at her and stared almost fondly, then chuckled. “Honestly? I think it would have changed quite a bit…”

Amour grinned. “Dark chocolate like her dress, and mint, like her eyes! Bananas for her hair, like the sun when it shines!” She cried as she made another one, and handed it off, to which Marin laughed and handed the ice cream maker her money for the two pieces, a big smile on his face. “You know me too well, Amour. I’m sure we’ll find a way to eat all this. Thanks.” He chuckled, then looked down at Aurore. The blonde was blushing furiously as she realized who the ice cream was for, staring at it quietly. Marin snickered and leaned down, nuzzling her affectionately, making her stiffen in surprise. 

“Ever know what it feels like to be found out,  _chaton_?” He whispered, making her jump and nearly drop their ice cream, looking up at him with wide eyes, her mouth agape. Marin chuckled. “What? I told you I would be paying attention.” He whispered playfully and tapped her nose. 

Aurore gasped and glared playfully at him. “You-” She couldn’t hold it though as she began to laugh. Why had she ever been nervous about this date? It was  _her_ Beetle, after all, how could anything ever be awkward around him?

How could she have ever thought something so ridiculous?


End file.
